Visceril Strain
"We orcs take grand pleasure in the blast of the hunting horn and baying of the hounds. Dogs crap smells sweet as dreamfoil to us. Live with wolves. Perhaps then, you learn to howl." :- Kozgugore to a New Blood. Kozgugore Feraleye is the chieftain of the Red Blade tribe, following his Matriarch Akesha's footprints, who founded the tribe. Originally a scout of the Warsong Clan throughout the First, Second and Third War, Kozgugore is familiar with most of the atrocities as well as victories of the Horde. A fighter as well as a leader, Kozgugore possesses a bright, commanding personality and a love for life unhindered by his bloody, tragic past. Biography Worg heritage Kozgugore was born on Draenor and raised within the Warsong Clan. He originally intended to become a shaman, though what always attracted his attention over his spiritual teaching was his love for the hunt. He would often go along with his father Thorg and his friends to hunt the wildlife of the Warsong lands, carrying supplies and sometimes even hunting animals himself. He envied the older orcs he accompanied, and dreamt of becoming a hunter himself one day. At times, he would even get scolded by his family for staying away for so long, living off the meat of the wildlife and stalking the plains for weeks, as it regularly made him miss the shamanistic classes he found so dull. At about the age of eleven, he found a lonely worg whelp near the edge of his village. Kozgugore brought it home and took care of its cries for food. The worg whelp, later named 'Gruk' by Kozgugore, would soon after that hunt alongside Kozgugore. As they learned to rely upon each other in the wilds, Kozgugore slowly developed a special, spiritual-like bond with the worg as he slowly grew older and grew more adept with the shamanistic magic, as well as making several blood-brothers amongst the clan. Cursed vessels As Kozgugore reached early adulthood, having completed his Om'riggor only several months, the call to war upon the draenei was sounded. He grudgingly accepted the death sentence of the Draenei and joined the fight, and although he would harness the power of the elements in the early stages of the war, he too, like all other shaman, would eventually lose his powers due to the discontent of the spirits and the elements. This eventually made Kozgugore abandon his shamanistic beliefs, and gave up on his teachings. Instead, Kozgugore was offered a place amongst the warlocks of the Warsong clan. After having witnessed their demonstration on draenei captives, however, he dismissed all offers to grasp their power, this to the dismay of his family, and his father in particular, who never forgave him ever since. He was demoted to the very lowest ranks of the clan, and found a new place amongst the scouts and grunts of the Warsong Clan. After the draenei were defeated, and after surviving the Dying Time of the orcs on Draenor by mostly sticking to himself in his new-found, demoted position, he was amongst the orcs that were ordered to safeguard Draenor whilst the rest of the Horde charged through the Dark Portal. As the war raged on, Kozgugore was mostly reduced to patrol and scouting assignments, sparing him most of the major defeats of the orcs deep into the human lands in the later phase of the war. Flagrant sacrifices As the orcs were about to lose the Second War, Kozgugore was ordered to leave Draenor alongside his Warsong friends and was ordered to track down artefacts on Azeroth that Ner'zhul ordered the clan to gather. At last, Kozgugore was once again able to witness the horrors the Horde had within itself to commit, joining the raids on human lands to recover these artefacts. Upon the destruction of Draenor, Kozgugore eventually fled to Azeroth with his remaining blood-brothers, and hid deep in human lands, evading capture for a long time. As time passed, however, he was nevertheless captured and separated from his blood-brothers and his worg friend Gruk. He was then imprisoned in the internment camp now known as Hammerfall, in Arathi Highlands. Here, the demonic blood slowly faded from his veins, and he became the orc he had not known for years. Studying the humans, he learned a lot about the humans' behaviour, and how deep their hatred towards the orcs rooted. Despite the way he started understanding the humans, little of his own hatred disappeared, as he saw orcs being tortured by corrupt guards and old friends being murdered as they tried to escape. It was then that Kozgugore noticed an old, familiar presence nearby. The worg Gruk had found Kozgugore and, through a chain of events, he was able to escape from Hammerfall, even though Gruk had to sacrifice his own life in doing so. Kozgugore then roamed the unknown human lands, his spirit broken by the last friend he had thought alive. After evading capture and living like a savage for what seemed to be months, he was able to return to the Warsong clan, who were at that time making preparations to free more imprisoned orcs. Once again reunited with his remaining brothers and father, he eagerly joined the battle and joined the retaliation on the humans. This time not angered by his demonic blood, but out of revenge for his fallen friends. It was in the battle of Durnholde that Kozgugore's father, Thorg died. A new pack As Kozgugore became the orc he originally intended to be, he faithfully followed his chieftain Grom Hellscream to Kalimdor, excited at the idea of having a land of their own after all those years. He set foot on Kalimdor and, with his chieftain Hellscream, travelled through the unfamiliar lands. In Ashenvale, however, he was among one of the many Warsong orcs that became corrupted once again with the promise of becoming invincible. Kozgugore once again made the blood pact, and carelessly murdered every Night Elf unfortunate enough to cross paths with the Chaos Orcs. As the battle raged on, however, he was hit unconscious by, what he calls, 'a giant trunk'. Recovering from his wounds in the Warsong camp, he was not among the ones who fought their fellow orcs, and was spared a merciful death. Redeemed from the blood pact once again, he followed Thrall with his few remaining comrades and became a witness of the alliance the orcs made with their old enemies. Even though he, like many orcs, had troubles working alongside humans, he couldn't help but feel some form of respect for some of the humans he was to fight alongside with, and he knew it was necessary if the orcs were to have their own homeland some day. Lone wolf As the orcs settled in Durotar in the aftermath of the war, Kozgugore eagerly helped build Orgrimmar, and helped the Warsong Outriders claim a place of their own in Ashenvale Forest. It was in Ashenvale that he found a new companion, named Paz, with whom he would form another bond with. Roaming the wilds with Paz, he did the dirty work for any faction, regardless of their motives. Kozgugore knew he had no chance of success when he would stay in Ashenvale forever, and decided to work as a mercenary to live his own life and to honour his adventuring days. As he heard the news that the Dark Portal had once again been opened, however, he could not hide his curiosity and eagerly set off to Draenor, hoping to find his old world still intact and, with it, perhaps his lost mother. What Kozgugore eventually found, however, was a world filled with even more conflict. Conflict he had hoped to avoid after all those years. Upset by what happened to his own home world, he nevertheless stepped forward and decided to find his old homeland back again. As he ventured further inland, however, he would soon find out nothing was left of his old homeland at all. Most of all, however, his companion Paz was killed by human poachers in Blade's Edge Mountains. It was then that he concluded that the past few years of his life, he was nothing more than a simple mercenary, working for the highest bidder. Falling into bitterness, he gave up on his mercenary life, and returned to Orgrimmar in search of an old friend. Red Blades and persistent wolves That old friend turned out to be Akesha, whom he had helped on multiple occasions in the past. It was Akesha who gave Kozgugore a new place to stay. Encouraged by her words, Kozgugore joined the Red Blade tribe, hoping he would be able to relive his old adventuring days within the Horde again. And relive his old days, he certainly did. As he was roaming the forests of Terokkar, he found a severely wounded worg which Kozgugore took along with him to nurture. At first, the worg was very distant and selfish. However, over the course of time, the worg slowly gave in and revealed its name to Kozgugore, which was known as Shrewd. Shortly after Kozgugore joined the Red Blade orcs, he went hunting with another hunter called Nergul. It was there that he discovered his friendship with Shrewd might in fact turn out into something different, wolf-like, after all. After Kozgugore was accepted and finished his Oath of Blood, he swiftly worked his way up to the rank of Red Guard and even Blademaster (in Red Blade terms, as opposed to the Horde equivalent) shortly afterwards, eventually up to High Blade. Ever since his promotion to High Blade, he took the battle to the Alliance along with the orcs and the Covenant after many months of defending and retreating. Constantly fighting the Alliance and, who seemed to be turning out his arch-enemy, Seiken Trollbane, he constantly remained wary of both the Alliance's and demonic threats. As well as threats from within his own ranks. Following the war between the Horde and the Alliance, the fighting would reach its pinnacle at the Battle of the Path of Glory. With the Horde standing under the command of Kozgugore and the Alliance under Seiken's, a long, costly battle was fought on the red landscape of the Hellfire Peninsula. This battle would be marked as the beginning of the end of the campaign. And in the aftermath of the battle, Kozgugore was promoted to the rank of Overlord. The Vanguard War Although the end was in sight, the fighting would take many more months to continue. Following the Battle of the Path of Glory, Kozgugore served as the link between the Covenant and the war effort of the Horde as he reinstated the Horde's War Council, giving the Horde more opportunities for multiple organizations to join forces and fight the Alliance. Guilds such as the Ashen Enclave and the Horde Watch were in due time persuaded to join. The war that was to follow would become known as the Vanguard War, named after the coalition called 'the Vanguard' formed by the Alliance to protect its lands from any of the Horde's threats. Visiting regions among which the Arathi Highlands, Ashenvale, the Barrens, Duskwood, Hillsbrad, the Hinterlands, Stonetalon and Stranglethorn Vale, both the Alliance as the Horde suffered many more casualties. Although Stormwind City was within reach of the Horde (and even assaulted), neither side won in the end. At least not until Kozgugore's would-be final moments. Ironically, it was at this crucial moment that Kozgugore was made Chieftain of the Red Blade tribe, as Akesha was forced to part ways with the Blades to search for a safe place far into Outland to get rid of the wolf mask of Kraag the Wolfking, a legendary hero of Clan Redblade, which slowly ate away at her mind, corrupting her from within. Blood for blood For several months, Kozgugore led the tribe from event to event and from battle to battle, until news reached him that a close relative to Kozgugore was murdered near the gates of Theramore, the human city in Dustwallow Marsh. Who exactly this orc was, few know up to this day. Though it is rumored it might have been a bastard son or friend of Kozgugore. Enraged by this news, Kozgugore made plans to attack the human city and remove all human existence from Kalimdor. Fuelling the War Council by bringing them news about the recent attacks aimed at the Horde's settlement by raiding parties that departed from Theramore, Kozgugore once again dragged all of the guilds into battle that fought alongside him during the Vanguard War. Preparations were being made and the Red Blade tribe even set up camp in Dustwallow Marsh to continuously harass the human defenders before the outbreak of the final battle. There, the unexpected happened, however. The Horde's forces caught a fully-prepared Theramore ready to fend off any and all invaders. A long but obviously desperate fight ensued, and although some of the Horde's forces were rallied by Kozgugore and made an unexpected attack through the docks, they were slowly fought off by the Alliance's defenders there as well. With the Horde's forces spread out and thin, there was no option left but to retreat. In the ensuing chaos, however, Kozgugore was nowhere to be seen, and went missing for weeks. This would be marked as the decisive end of the Vanguard War, resulting in a time of relative peace. Redemption and rejuvenation Many orcs grew anxious over Kozgugore's fate, though their answers were soon answered, because it was Greggar Ironfoot who supposedly found Kozgugore's head impaled on a pike outside of Theramore's walls, his remains burnt on a short-lived pyre in the outskirts of the city. It is said Greggar gathered whatever remains he could find and brought them all back for safekeeping. Weeks later, however, Kozgugore arrived healthy and alive at a tribe gathering. It is rumored that the chieftain went into hiding in the battle's aftermath to escape Warchief Thrall's wrath, who still had a fragile treaty with Jaina Proudmoore of Theramore. Few, however, claim the chieftain actually returned from the dead. When asked about this, Kozgugore is usually a closed book, however. Following these strange events, the tribe's inner unrest would soon fade over time and the tribe went on as it did before the final battle of the Vanguard War. Using these relatively quiet times of peace, Kozgugore took the opportunity to delve deeper into whatever information about old Clan Redblade that was left behind by Akesha before she disappeared, slowly gaining knowledge about old clan figures such as the Wolfking and Mruthgor and his Cult of the Wolf. Call of the North It was in Hammerfall, where the Red Blades were investigating the Arathorian threat in the highlands, when whispers of the north coursed through the winds, and rumors spread of a ghoul plague and increased Scourge attacks. Although a war with the Alliance was at hand, even Warsong orcs like Kozgugore deemed a ceasefire with the Alliance to be necessary, in order to fight the Scourge threat. Proposals were made as both the Horde and the Alliance underwent multiple efforts to investigate the plague and rumors, yet the unstable relations proved unreliable as the Alliance nevertheless invaded Hillsbrad. There was more at stake for this orc than just a plague, however. Every time a chieftain would stand on the rocks overlooking Razor Hill, a young, small orc female would join him and engage in talks. In secret, Kozgugore had been meeting with a Sixty Thief by the name of Morgeth Feralheart for the preceding weeks. Although they were enemies at first through the fact that the orcs and the thieves held little love for each other in the past, they slowly grew closer to each other. Kozgugore learned of some of the predicaments thieves were facing, and this thief in particular. As if caught by a curse from the warlock herself, it proved difficult to shake the female off, and in time, he even started to care about the orc as a father would care about a daughter. This relation proved insufficient, however. Far away from any threats from the North, the two orcs talked, and shared their problems in the most remote of places. No doubt Kozgugore even had a hand in getting Morgeth to leave the Sixty’s ranks, as a result putting her at risk for the thieves’ blades. For safekeeping, the orc joined the tribe to Hammerfall. Not only to keep her from thieves’ harm, but to have herself prove her worth to the Red Blades as well. The progress against the Arathorians was slow. But at the same time, although not visible, something else was growing at rapid speed. Kozgugore persuaded Morgeth to seek out Norviskrall, who was at the time making promising progression to become the tribe’s first Thur'ruk. Although unaware at first, Norviskrall would slowly learn it was his own chieftain’s child he would be investigating in this warlock’s womb. The final clue unfolded when he contacted the spirits to investigate Morgeth’s fertility and health. Instead of normal spirits, Norviskrall made contact with the ancient Wolfking. With his blessing, a chieftain’s offspring was deemed secure, and despite the unspoken but well-aware Scourge threat, the final announcement was made to the tribe: These two orcs would swear loyalty to each other for the rest of their lives, and into the afterlife, to be bound to each other’s honour for eternity. Although the threat seemed clear, Kozgugore would not yet return back to Orgrimmar for duties. Instead, his presence was lost for another week as he instead took his mate to undergo the traditional orcish binding hunt. Travelling through half of Kalimdor and eventually making his way to Nagrand, the orcs spent their time well, returning with the hides and bones of their preys, along with the unseen marks on the green skins underneath their clothing and armour. Upon his, certainly timely, return to Orgrimmar, Kozgugore finally initiated his own attempts to battle the Scourge. The very same day, a new Covenant would gather on the doorsteps of Grommash Hold, brought together for a single purpose: To serve the Horde and fight the now obvious threat from Northrend. This could not have taken place sooner, as only a few hours later, frost wyrms and abominations started their assault on Orgrimmar. With the Covenant and the tribe waiting for the events to unfold and the order of their Warchief to march north, this chieftain’s spirit seemed to remain unbroken despite any dire threats from any undead army. With a mate and a yet unborn child, this orc would go well beyond limits to settle the Horde’s future – be it through peace with the Alliance, or yet again with a good, old world of enemies. This time with more than just a death wish a few months ago, as at the walls of Theramore. The vigilant alpha It would not take long before the final decision was made to send the Horde to Northrend, and battle the Scourge. In the name of the Horde, Kozgugore and the rest of the Red Blade tribe would venture to Northrend, where the unrest between the Horde and the Alliance, as well as unrest from within the Horde itself, would force the chieftain to make some dire decisions, for it was after the Battle of Angrathar the Wrathgate that Kozgugore would soon see a cooperation between either factions would not be something he would have to hope for, despite previous negotiations to settle for a ceasefire. Even more so, Garrosh Hellscream, the son of his old Warsong chieftain, would have his Warsong Offensive exercise further pressure upon the relationship with the Alliance, even pushing it as far as open skirmishes on the wastes of Icecrown, much to Kozgugore's dismay. This made him, despite his previous ties to the Warsong Clan, root for Thrall's more neutral side, more clearly severing his links with his blood-ridden past. It was only under the Warchief's command that he took part in the Battle for the Undercity and resumed fighting the Scourge in Northrend. Aside from the unrest in Northrend, events in the tribe itself would not come to a halt either, however. One event after another unfolded, though all of which the most important one for Kozgugore and his mate Morgeth must surely have been the birth of his son, Kraag, named after the guardian spirit of the tribe, safely in the security of their hut in Garadar. It's because of this crucial event that, despite the fact Kozgugore is still stuck in the unrest within the Horde itself, as well as a war against the Scourge and the unrest against the Alliance, even unfolding in skirmishes and battles at times, he devotes his life to the safekeeping of the Horde's lands and the survival of the orcish race, so his son may endure a childhood free of any conflict, like he was still lucky enough to have in his younger days on Draenor. Whereas he had and still has a tendency for honest battle to resolve conflicts, his personality as a chieftain has been forced to grow slightly more careful as to make any rash decisions like taking any fights to the Alliance. Instead, he rather attempts to follow Thrall's attempts in keeping the Alliance on neutral terms, while he bides his time to strike on the first and foremost enemy: The Scourge. Personality Kozgugore is generally considered to have a grumpy character, seemingly indifferent and looking down towards others. This seems more like a facade than anything else, however. Deep inside, a family orc resides, bent on safekeeping the orc's homelands and keeping his tribe together and prosperous. Although he loyally follows Warchief Thrall's command, he still seems to have great difficulty showing no prejudices towards other races among the Horde, of which particularly elves. Nevertheless, he holds a great sense of honour, even towards potential arch enemies who have proven themselves to be an honourable match, and can see even beyond his prejudices, should anyone have proven himself to him, particularly through combat. Having witnessed the old glory of Draenor, Kozgugore holds the old, orcish traditions close to his heart, despite his tendency to occasionally crave for bloodshed and violence like any Warsong orc. In public, he usually speaks with a grumbly, guttural voice. Appearance Kozgugore's outward appearance is one of a relative mid-aged-looking orc, even though his old scars say otherwise. His physique isn't as muscular as any average orc warrior, though more so than that of an average Horde hunter. His armour usually consists of mail and, to most people, he may look more like a warrior than a scout in service of the Horde. Even though he wears a lot of bones on his armour, hailing from all sort of defeated opponents, the most important one to Kozgugore is the bone-necklace around his neck. Decorated with several bigger, sharp bones, these are the bones of Kozgugore's first kill, a raptor, for his Om'riggor, the orcish initiation rite. It's common among Warsong orcs to wear the bones of their first solo kill around their neck. This kill gave him his surname 'Feraleye' as well, returning to his village with not only the blood of the raptor on his face, but that of his own as well - caused by a deadly claw on his right eye. The scar is still visible on his right eye, though since he usually wears a wolf-mask, not everyone may be aware of the scar. The confident demeanor and burly muscles on this orc indicate a past rooted in either military or high adventure. Kozgugore is beginning to show signs of aging, however, as his thin black hair and beard are already slightly streaked with gray. Apart from either the mail or leather armour he usually wears, he carries two necklaces, both donning several sharp, little bones. One of them clearly newer and better-maintained than the older. Carried on his side is a decorated chimaera's horn. Following in his footsteps is usually a healthy-looking worg. The intensity of its yellow eyes seems to resemble those of Kozgugore's wolf mask. Memorable quotes * Go, brother. Find the Warhowlers and free our old friends. Hammerblows of Doom will crush once again. * Hear me, filthy devils! Heated steel await you! Red Blade steel! * I realise even you would not be able to understand our decisions, Daga. Especially not a young one like you, whose mind be imprinted with tales of glory and honour. Perhaps no orc will really know the Warsong’s decision. And why so many of them died unrightfully. Some of us still have the same blood rage burning deep inside us for that exact reason. * Akesha Redblade! Honour her like the heroes of old! For the Blood of the Tribe! (About Akesha upon her depart from the tribe) * I suggest you keep yourself and any of your closest friends and family out of Dustwallow Marsh. Soon, news of the Horde there will spread like a wildfire, and not even the Storms of Fate will keep a tidal wave from breaking upon Theramore’s walls. (In a letter to Exaythe) * The fight be not over until you win it. (In a letter to Morgeth) * I have met me share of maggots who I thought I could once trust. For some orcs, even a blood oath be not enough. For others... not even two. And as always, you will only find out too late. * It can be a gentle breeze that tickles your skin. But it can might as well lift you from the ground and touch you with lightning. It felt like all of that at the same time. It be how the elements play with us, to let us know them be stronger than us. Just so we don't get overconfident. We be like toys to them. Them can laugh when you rise too high and throw you right down into the earth again. Or crush everything you worked for all your life with a whim. * Wolves have feelings, Morgeth. Them can feel your sorrow, your joy and your anger. There be no finer or more loyal animal companion to be found out there. * Looks like it been crawling through a puddle of talbuk slime. (Kozgugore’s first words about his newly born child, Kraag) Category:Horde Characters Category:Characters Category:Males Category:Forsaken Category:Rogues